While the world is taking different measures to over come the deadly Coronavirus outbreak, here comes another virus called Hantavirus.

Known History

Hantavirus was first recognized as an infectious disease in the early 1950s when a cluster of 3,000 United Nation troops stationed in Korea was struck by a mysterious illness. Ten to fifteen percent of those infected perished, and though the exact etiologic agent was not discovered for two decades, it was suspected that rodents served as the main epidemiologic vector. Infection was associated with fever, hypotension, renal failure, thrombocytopenia, and disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). The clinical syndrome became known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), formerly Korean hemorrhagic fever, and the virus was named Hanta after the Hantaan River of Korea. Over the ensuing years, several other etiologic agents of HFRS such as the Seoul, Puumala, and Dobrava viruses, were discovered across Europe and Asia.

Though antigenic evidence of Hantavirus remains widespread among rodents across the United States, only a handful of cases of HFRS was ever identified in the states.

Species Of Rodents Responsible For Hantavirus

Hantavirus hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is a group of clinically similar illnesses caused by species of hantaviruses from the family Hantaviradae, in the order Bunyavirales. It is also known as Korean hemorrhagic fever and epidemic hemorrhagic fever. The species that cause HFRS include Hantaan orthohantavirus , Dobrava-Belgrade orthohantavirus , Saaremaa virus, Seoul orthohantavirus Puumala orthohantavirus , and other orthohantaviruses. It is found in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Of these species, Hantaan River virus and Dobrava-Belgrade virus cause the most severe form of the syndrome and have the highest morbidity rates. When caused by the Puumala virus, , it is also called nephropathia epidemica. This infection is known as sorkfeber in Swedish and myyräkuume in Finnish (vole fever). In Norway, it is called musepest (mouse plague).

Both hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) appear to be immunopathelogic , and inflammatory mediators are important in causing the clinical manifestations.

Signs and symptoms